Job Description
Lead impactful projects, delivering diverse services and ensuring successful outcomes within agreed tolerances of time, cost, scope, quality, risk, and benefits.
South Sudan remains one of the most fragile countries globally, with rural communities facing profound challenges related to food and nutrition insecurity, low incomes, and poor access to social and economic infrastructure and basic services. These challenges are compounded by repeated climate change shocks that have eroded the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities. Despite its agricultural potential, systemic underinvestment, protracted conflict, and fragile governance have suppressed development. Against this backdrop, the South Sudan Livelihoods and Resilience Project (SSLRP), of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) presents a critical opportunity to improve livelihoods and resilience of rural smallholder households across three states, eight counties.
The South Sudan Livelihood Resilience Project (SSLRP) is a major initiative financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Dutch Government, and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). The project is implemented by the Government of South Sudan through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) appointed as the Lead Implementing Agency.
The overall goal of the SSLRP is to contribute to improved and resilient livelihoods among targeted rural communities in eight counties across five states (Torit, Magwi, Kajo-Keji, Wau, Jur River, Bor, Awerial, and Terekeka). The Project Development Objective is to empower communities to participate in decision-making processes that recover agricultural livelihoods, build household resilience, and promote stability.
UNOPS is responsible for the full implementation of two core technical components:
Component 1: Community Driven Development Planning: Focusing on building inclusive Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and developing Community Development Plans (CDPs).
Component 2: Community Agriculture Investment Fund (CAIF): Providing grants for micro-projects and constructing productive community infrastructure, including the significant rehabilitation of the Magwi Palotaka Feeder Road.
The Senior Project Manager (Implementation) is responsible for planning, organizing, leading the project from Initiation to Closure. The Senior Project Manager ensures effective delivery and oversight of projects, while implementing the services in scope and contributing towards achievement of partners’ goals and objectives. Acting on behalf of the Project Board, the Senior Project Manager ensures that project outputs are delivered within agreed tolerances of time, cost, scope, quality, risk, and benefits. The Senior Project Manager serves as the focal point for coordination with donors, partners and beneficiaries, ensuring alignment with contractual commitments and UNOPS performance standards. The incumbent possesses and applies a deep understanding of Project planning, implementation, monitoring and control, while managing stakeholder expectations. and ensuring delivery is as per the terms of the Legal Agreement.
Project Delivery and Performance
- Develop, complete and update the project implementation plan.
- Implement the approved plan (including establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the Project Board.
- Embed sustainability dimensions, including social and gender considerations, and environmental and economic aspects, into the project life span.
- Manage the production of required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources while initiating corrective action where necessary.
- Ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables comply with the quality requirements defined in the implementation plan.
- Liaise with external suppliers or account managers to ensure quality and timely delivery of outputs.
- Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages.
- Monitor project progress, control project variances (if any), and manage changes.
- Identify, anticipate and advise senior management and the project board on mitigating measures against project risks to ensure that benefits to partners and other stakeholders are maximized.
- Advocate and promote UNOPS service offerings, identify and report potential growth opportunities for UNOPS.
Procedures
- Comply with the organization’s policies and standards, and ensure project information is kept updated in project management systems.
- Be aware of applicable local laws and regulations, and ensure adherence. This includes international regulations and standards, where applicable, as well as technical standards.
- Prepare and adapt all relevant plans for approval by the project board, and manage baselines
- Manage the reporting obligations defined in the implementation plan and legal agreements.
- Maintain project documentation in an orderly manner for accessibility and audit support when needed.
- Understand and apply the UNOPS financial rules and regulations. Be accountable for the use of delegation of authority (where applicable) and ensure compliance with relevant policies and standards of ethics.
- Provide a formal handover of the project to the closure manager when applicable.
- Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during audits and follow-up on audit observations/ recommendations.
Monitoring and Reporting
- Include a results framework and M&E plan in the project implementation plan with clearly defined indicators and agreed targets, ensure regular monitoring and tracking of project results.
- Prepare and issue regular project and financial reports in accordance with partner and UNOPS requirements for reporting.
- Regularly review project status and evaluate performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule, and quality)
- Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by UNOPS standard operating procedures.
- Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.
- Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of the project life span.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop stakeholder engagement strategies and plans. Actively engage stakeholders, take feedback, and adjust as necessary.
- Establish solid working relationships with the project board (executive, senior users and senior suppliers); clients; and key stakeholders.
- Enable formulation of project communication plans and monitor effectiveness of project communications.
- Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications. Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, and exceptions, and are in a position to accept handover output.
Quality Assurance
- Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements.
- Work with procurement/ purchasing personnel to ensure effective interface with suppliers’ quality systems.
- Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables.
- Provide quality control for management outputs (e.g. project documents, reports, etc)
Knowledge Management and Innovation
- Create a learning environment for the project team, encourage knowledge sharing and training to contribute to longer-term capacity building.
- Actively interact with other project managers and the wider project management (PM) community, share case studies, lessons learned and best practices.
- Stay abreast with latest updates and good practices of the profession, participate in training and learning activities for self to advance proficiency and competency.
- Ensure lessons learned are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.
- Provide feedback to corporate practice groups on policy and systems, when needed.
- Provide feedback to functional groups on policies and related guidance to support the continuous improvement of UNOPS policy framework.
Personnel Management
- Organise and structure the project team, ensure clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Provide regular guidance and direction, as needed, and support the team in effectively performing their tasks.
- Lead and motivate the project management team, and manage performance.
- Ensure performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately, and on time.
- Select, recruit, and train project teams as required, taking gender parity and diversity objectives into account.
- Ensure safety and security for all project personnel in compliance with the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) standard.
